Meghan Markle’s yellow dress designer says it was a ‘mistake’

The Duchess of Sussex arrives to attend the Your Commonwealth Youth Challenge reception at Marlborough House in London, Britain July 5, 2018.
Yui Mok/Pool via Reuters

Meghan Markle’s yellow dress designer has admitted it was a mistake. Brandon Maxwell created the eye-catching yellow shift dress that the Duchess of Sussex wore earlier this month in London, but he said its colour wasn’t supposed to be what it was.

The new royal, along with her husband, Prince Harry, attended the Your Commonwealth Youth Challenge reception at Marlborough House in London on July 5 in a rather fetching outfit. The simple bright yellow knee-length number that she wore was a refreshing shade from her recent neutral-coloured dresses. And by most accounts, the dress was a hit among fans and observers alike.

The dress almost didn’t come about, though, as the designer admitted that it was just a result of a “mistake” in the production process. He told Fairfax Media that the fabric wasn’t supposed to be yellow.

“I wasn’t sure [about the fabric], and the women in my office said they loved it and it was the colour of the season,” he said.

The fashion designer ultimately decided to go along with his staff’s opinion and kept the colour of the dress. It was a good thing as well because the dress sold out immediately after Meghan wore it to the event.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the Your Commonwealth Youth Challenge reception at Marlborough House in London, Britain July 5, 2018. Yui Mok/Pool via Reuters

Maxwell has also designed dresses for former US First Lady Michelle Obama and media mogul Oprah Winfrey. He said Meghan’s story has stirred similar emotions in him as Obama did when she wore a dress of his to a state dinner in 2016.

“I always thought [about] what that meant for young women everywhere. I am not a young woman but I recognise that; I see myself in that, in the Michelle Obamas, in the Meghan Markles, to be part of that history — it’s not about the dress.”

He continued, “I’m always proud when our brand has a ‘moment’ with women who I feel are similar to the women I started the brand for. It just didn’t seem possible from where I grew up that I could be here today — so it’s emotional.”

Meghan is fast becoming a fashion icon, just like her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. And again just like the Duchess of Cambridge, who reportedly did her own makeup when she married Prince William in 2011, Meghan also apparently does her own makeup for royal events.

On his Instagram, Meghan’s makeup artist, Daniel Martin, posted a photo of Meghan and Harry at the RAF Centenary in London earlier this week, complimenting the duchess in her Dior outfit. When a commenter asked if Martin did her makeup, he said she did it herself.

“I didn’t but she’s so good doing it herself!” Martin answered a commenter.

Britain's Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex arrives at Westminster Abbey for a service to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force in central London, Britain July 10, 2018. Reuters/Simon Dawson

Meghan also reportedly did not have a makeup artist in two when she and Harry visited Ireland this week. According to Hello! magazine, her entourage during her first official Irish trip included eleven members, including a hairdresser and wardrobe stylist. What she did not include was a makeup artist, which could mean that she had done her own makeup while in Ireland.